Nierozprzestrzenianie broni biologicznej i bezpieczeństwo narodowe Kazachstanu. Droga w kierunku strategicznej stabilności i globalnego pokoju .......... 437

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS NON-PROLIFERATION AND KAZAKHSTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY: THE PATH TO STRATEGIC STABILITY AND GLOBAL PEACE

The paper examines the nonproliferation of biological weapons in the context of modern international security and the national security of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It explores the theoretical foundations of biological weapons–defining their characteristics, classification, and the geopolitical consequences of their use–and provides a historical analysis of efforts to prevent the proliferation of these weapons at international and regional levels. Particular attention is devoted to Kazakhstan’s national security strategy and its new approaches to biological security: the state’s strategic framework for neutralising biological threats is analysed, including President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiative to strengthen global biological nonproliferation (building on Kazakhstan’s legacy of nuclear disarmament), and the spectrum of biological and toxin threats in Central Asia is assessed. The paper draws on up-todate international studies, official documents (including the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention) and policy papers to substantiate its analysis and conclusions. As a result of the study, recommendations are formulated and emerging opportunities are identified to reinforce the biological nonproliferation and biosafety regime, which is highlighted as an important condition for ensuring the national and regional security of Kazakhstan, as well as global security.